Grass Valley Welcomes Timothy Shoulders as New President

Shoulders was appointed president effective January 1, transitioning from his previous role as vice president and general manager of Belden’s global Industrial Cable business. Prior to that, he gained valuable insights into the broadcast industry as leader of Belden’s global Broadcast Cables business following a successful stint in the company’s Enterprise Connectivity platform. He combines his background in accounting and finance with a passion for efficiency to manage a complex global manufacturing network and serve as a champion for lean manufacturing principles. Shoulders will report directly to Roel Vestjens, president, Industrial Solutions & Broadcast IT for Belden. Former president Marco Lopez has left the company to pursue other opportunities.

“Tim’s ability to successfully drive the Belden Broadcast and AV business as well as the Industrial Cable business over recent years makes him the right person to lead Grass Valley as we look ahead to an exciting time of growth and continued transition in the industry,” says Vestjens. “He has a unique ability to influence internal processes that enhance the customer experience by reducing or eliminating barriers to effective communication. An open and collaborative relationship with our customers is critical as we navigate business and technology changes in the market together.”

Shoulders has an extensive background in finance and accounting, including managing corporate finance functions and forecasting and reporting for large, diverse businesses. During his time with Belden, he’s led numerous M&A projects, integrations and cross-business initiatives, gaining expertise in the Belden Business System, a foundation of guiding principles and processes that lead to measurable efficiency. He will be based in Grass Valley’s worldwide headquarters in Montreal.

As he brings his own skills and perspectives to the role of Grass Valley president, he remains focused on the company’s core mission of empowering customers to create, control and connect content wherever, however and whenever it is consumed.

In an interview with SVG's Editorial Director Ken Kerschbaumer, Timothy Shoulders made the following statements on his new role and the company's future:

“I am not coming in cold to the business,” he says, “and I really have an appreciation for Grass Valley and the industry.”

Shoulders brings a high degree of financial expertise to the position and notes that such a background will be helpful in managing a company that is part of an industry in the midst of massive transition. Whether it is the move to IP, the move from capital to operations expenditure, products transitioning from hardware to software, the move to UHD and HDR, and more, a solid understanding of financial processes and workflows cuts across all of them.

“It’s about keeping the business running efficiently and effectively,” he points out. “That requires a lot of process, the need to identify small issues before they become big ones, and the ability to take a plan and push it down into an organization.”

During his time at Belden, Shoulders learned the art of putting effective processes into practice and to also make sure that the customer is at the center. That will continue at Grass Valley.

“We need to make sure we understand what challenges they are facing, how to monetize new platforms for digital media, and also how to manage declining ad revenues in traditional segments,” he explains. “We partner with our customers to help them transition effectively.”

His management philosophy begins at surrounding himself with experts who understand their role and are effective at executing the company mission.

“It’s a team-based approach,” he says. “We develop a plan together and execute the plan in a collaborative way that brings together various functions, like sales, marketing, and R&D. The goal is to come up with the best solution to deliver value to our customers and empower them to create and control content whenever and wherever they want.”

Shoulders sees two main advantages in Grass Valley’s relationship with its parent company, Belden.

“First, they have the financial strength of a parent company that can give a lot of flexibility and stability so there can be investments in the business to grow organically or inorganically. That’s important and gives us a competitive advantage in a fragmented market.”

The second advantage is that the 100-year-old Belden has refined a system for running its business. Known as the Belden Business System, it is focused on identifying the right markets to play in and figuring out how to grow by deploying a strategy that includes lean manufacturing to provide value to the customer and a strong balance sheet on the backend. The personnel, Shoulders notes, exist today at Grass Valley to help put those processes in place.

“The team has great customer relationships, and they understand what the customer needs and why they need it,” he says. “And Grass Valley has embraced open standards as part of the AIMS consortium, a really bold decision to lead the industry. That will change the dynamic of how products are purchased as hardware can become more off-the-shelf. Grass Valley is leading the industry at an interesting time. as SMPTE 2110 will gain traction with IP solutions in the ensuing months.”

Up next for Shoulders? He has lived in Indianapolis for roughly 25 years and will relocate to Montreal this summer when his kids finish school.

“I am a consumer of a lot of the content our customers create; I love live media and sports like football and hockey,” he says. “I am also a racing fan; after 25 years in Indianapolis, it is in my DNA.”

About Grass Valley
Grass Valley is focused on empowering customers to create, control and connect content wherever, however and whenever it is consumed. In this ever-changing media landscape, content remains the most important element. Many of our customers are faced with the need to create and support new workflows while continuing to operate their legacy workflows, simultaneously broadcasting through traditional channels, Over-The-Top platforms, and Video-On-Demand as well as to tablets, PCs, and mobile devices.
 
We provide the innovative tools and expertise to help customers improve the efficiency of their operations while telling better stories to attract and keep viewers. With Grass Valley's integrated solutions that enable flexibility, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, quality and scalability, broadcasters and content creators have what they need to sustain their businesses. Headquartered in Montreal, Grass Valley has been in the broadcast business for nearly 60 years and is part of St. Louis-based Belden Inc.